Disneyland and California Adventure are world-class theme parks, but at the height of the summer tourist season, they can be world-class time-wasters. Here are tips on making the most of your visit:

• If you’re driving there, avoid rush hours. Or take Amtrak to the Anaheim station, a five-minute cab ride from the parks.

• Parking at Disneyland costs $14. For brief visits, Downtown Disney is cheaper. Buy a meal in that entertainment district adjacent to the parks and you can score five hours of free parking; after that, each hour is $6.

• Come early. In summer, California Adventure opens at 10 a.m.; Disneyland, 8 or 9 a.m. — check the day’s schedule at disneyland.disney.go.com or call guest services, (714) 781-7290. (The latter can also estimate expected crowds that day.) Both parks allow guests into some shops an hour before the official opening.

• Check wait times for popular rides. In Disneyland, these are posted by the Adventureland entrance. In California Adventure, ask at the information booth — it’s under a cupola modeled after San Diego’s Santa Fe station. Verizon’s “Disney Mobile Magic” app ($9.99 for 180 days) also tracks waits; RideMax, downloadable at ridemax.com (90 days for $14.95), uses a huge database to steer you to attractions when they should be least crowded.

• Use Fast Passes, available for select rides. These timed free tickets allow you to skip most of the line. Only one pass at a time, except for Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin — you can simultaneously hold Fast Passes for this Toontown attraction and one more Disneyland ride.

• Take a break between 1 and 3 p.m., when lines are longest and temperatures highest. Splash around in your motel’s pool, if you’re staying overnight. If not, the Grand Californian Hotel’s large lobby is air-conditioned, full of overstuffed chairs and open to the public.

• Early reviews are glowing for California Adventure’s “World of Color” fountain show, debuting June 11. Also new at CA: the Silly Symphony Swings. Disneyland’s latest features are refurbished oldies: “Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln,” better than ever, and “Captain EO,” the 3-D Michael Jackson film, made in 1986 and showing its age.